A series of US airstrikes on boats in South American waters has left more than 60 people dead since September, sparking regional outrage and warnings of a new Cold War-style intervention in the Americas.
The US administration has described the bombings as part of an intensified campaign against “narco-terrorists,” targeting suspected drug-running vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific. But legal experts and human rights groups have condemned the strikes as unlawful, accusing Washington of carrying out extrajudicial killings.
“These are premeditated killings outside of armed conflict — and the term for that is murder,” said Brian Finucane, senior adviser at the International Crisis Group.
President Donald Trump has defended the campaign, dismissing bipartisan criticism that the strikes bypass congressional approval required for military action. “We’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country,” he told reporters, insisting the operations were saving “25,000 American lives” from drug overdoses.
However, analysts say the claim is misleading, noting that most US overdose deaths involve synthetic opioids like fentanyl, which are produced in Mexico and trafficked overland, not through South American sea routes.
The strikes have drawn condemnation from regional leaders, especially after a recent attack off Mexico’s coast killed several fishermen. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called the move “unacceptable,” while Venezuela labelled it “warmongering” following a US naval exercise in nearby Trinidadian waters.
Relatives of those killed say many victims were innocent. Among them was 26-year-old fisherman Chad Joseph from Trinidad and Tobago, who disappeared after boarding a boat in Venezuela. “Donald Trump took a father, a brother, an uncle,” his cousin, Afisha Clement, told Reuters. “If you say a boat has narcotics on it, where is the proof?”
The Pentagon, now rebranded the “Department of War” under Secretary Pete Hegseth, insists the vessels were operated by “Designated Terrorist Organisations.” The deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, with 5,000 troops on board, has further heightened fears of escalation.
Regional religious leaders, including the Antilles Episcopal Conference, have urged restraint. “The arbitrary and unwarranted taking of life cannot be justified,” they said in a statement.
Analysts believe the campaign has broader political aims — including pressuring Venezuela’s socialist leader Nicolás Maduro and asserting US dominance in the hemisphere. “The risk that decapitating the regime triggers a civil war that spreads across the region is very high,” warned Renata Segura of the International Crisis Group.
Despite international alarm, President Trump has signalled that operations could expand to land targets in Venezuela, fuelling concerns of a wider conflict in Latin America.
